


Stranded

by QueenIX



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-20
Updated: 2014-05-20
Packaged: 2018-01-25 20:10:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1660967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenIX/pseuds/QueenIX
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Born of a writing prompt that said, "Strand your protagonist in a hotel room, in an unfamiliar location, with another character from your story. What sort of tensions spring up?" An AU perspective, with Odo still human.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stranded

Odo dropped his duffel and took a look around the room. It was an unfortunately brief look. It was hard to believe that these were the only accommodations a city the size of Garjelios could boast. There was barely enough space to move, an antique four-poster bed taking up most of it. As Odo looked down at the hand-carved, luxurious thing, his heart sank. This bed was a problem as he was not traveling alone.

Kira let out a short laugh as she came behind him, hauling in her own bag. “Well, I've slept in tighter spaces, but not by much.” She dropped her duffel next to his. “But this bed...” She ran a slow hand over the sanity white coverlet and smiled. “I've never seen a bed like this before. It's _fabulous._ ”

After what Odo had seen in the past hour, the last thing he wanted was to share this closet of a hotel room or its fabulous bed with Kira Nerys. Panic sent him into a babble. “Major, this is my fault, I wasn't watching the temp readouts close enough and I should have reacted sooner. I'm sorry I got us into this and --"

“Odo, stop,” Kira said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “We went through this already. The breach wasn't your fault. Calm down.”

Odo sighed dejectedly, dropping on the bed. He promptly shot back up. “I'll leave,” he said. “You can keep the room. I'll find somewhere else to sleep.”

“Odo, you heard the desk agent. There's not another room in the city.”

“I could go back to the runabout.”

“Not while it's in dry dock. The plasma leak, remember? The ship's flooded with radiation?”

Odo rubbed his lower lip distractedly. A slight tingle on the skin there was bothering him, but not as much as the current hotel room crisis. Damned that leaky warp core, anyway.

“I could just sleep on the streets,” he said. “I've done it before.”

“Um, you could,” Kira said, moving to the window and parting the gauzy curtains. With a one-sided grin, she turned back to Odo. “Given what's going on down there, I don't think you want to do that. I have no idea where you might end up.”

As if to confirm Kira's words, a great cheer rose from below, followed by much hooting, whistling, and what Odo assumed passed for catcalls on this backwater planet. He joined Kira at the window, looking over her shoulder. Across from the hotel was a thickly crowded park. Something was going on in the center, but it was too far to make out what. Odo was about to turn away when an amplified female voice carried through the glass.

_"I am the night, and the night is mine!"_

The cheering of the crowd rose to a raucous fervor. Odo swallowed audibly. “Maybe you're right.”

It was just Odo's luck that the runabout's warp drive would break down near a place like this. Their mayday had been answered by an officer of the planet's defense force. Odo and Kira were beamed aboard the officer's vessel, and, with a slight slur in his speech, he'd offered the hospitality of his planet as the runabout was towed for repair. The officer had sent them to this hotel, said they would be taken care of, said it had all been arranged.

“We should have known better than to listen to a drunken MP who's 'godda a cousin in the ciddy', " Odo said, doing a mocking impression of their rescuer. “He could have at least warned us about the festival.”

“True. Though if he had, I would've missed your reaction on the walk here.”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

Kira chuckled as she turned to Odo. “Constable, I don't think I've ever seen your eyes quite that large, or that frightened.”

“I wasn't frightened.” Frightened is definitely not the word he would have used.

“Then why have you been jumpier than a harrah cat on hot sand? Was it that woman we ran into earlier?”

It was dusk when the pair were beamed to the Garjelios transporter station. Kira's tricorder said the distance to the hotel wasn't enough to bother with public transit, so they decided to walk. The evening was pleasantly cool and clear, the violet sky giving way to deep purple as the sun dropped below the zenith. They were in the city's historic district, and might have admired the classic architecture and well-preserved sculptures as they made their way through the streets. They might have found it quaint, even. The people of city, however, made it anything but quaint.

Kira and Odo had unwittingly stepped into some kind of bacchanal, the city dressed festively in garland upon garland of white flowers, the air redolent with their perfume, shop fronts lit and open, and strange but rhythmic music coming from speakers set high on the lamp posts. The Karpyran citizens roamed the streets in droves, yelling, running, dancing, drinking and feasting. But that wasn't what bothered Odo. What bothered him was that none of them were wearing clothes.

None of it had seemed to bother Kira. She'd laughed it off, and chatted her way to the hotel. Odo did his best to listen, his replies stilted as he kept his eyes on the sidewalk. They had nearly made it to their destination when the woman in question approached.

Kira tried to warn Odo, tugging on his sleeve, but it was too late. The woman had found him. She was nude as a babe, except for her long, flowing hair and a silver belly chain slung low on her generous hips. She clung to him drunkenly, pressing her bare breasts into his chest as she trailed a hand down to the fasteners of his pants. Odo pushed her off, but not before she kissed him thoroughly, her lips sweet and hot, and her taste faintly floral.

“ _I am the night, and the night is mine,”_ she had whispered as she let him go.

What did that mean, anyway? “Well,” Odo said, shaking off the image, “she _was_ trying to remove my uniform, and I would much prefer to keep it on.”

“Actually, I'm surprised she's the only one who stopped us. You were getting an awful lot of attention...” Kira looked back down on the street. “Maybe you _should_ go down there, Odo. Thousands of naked women on the prowl...” She waggled a brow at him and grinned. “Might be worth a little sleep deprivation.”

“Major!”

“What? Aren't you even curious?”

 _I am the night_....“Not in the least, and I'd appreciate it if we could quit discussing it,” he replied, crossing his arms over his chest, coloring an alarming shade of red.

“All right, all right, I'm sorry,” Kira said, still grinning. “I guess you'll be stuck with just me for the night. What shall we do with ourselves?”

Odo flopped back on the bed. “Are you hungry?” he asked. He rubbed his lip again, that annoying tingle still teasing the skin just under it.

“I could eat.”

"Well, I'm starving.” Odo searched the walls and huffed. “This room doesn't even have a replicator.”

Kira picked something up from a small side table. “Odo, I think this might be a menu.” She flipped the plastic sheet over and read the back. “Room service, maybe?” Scanning it with her tricorder for translation, she smiled, biting her cheek. “Yup...Though maybe you don't want to look too closely at the names of these dishes.”

 “Why?”

“They seem to be in keeping with tonight's theme.”

Odo snagged the tricorder and read it. “Oh, for Prophet's--” He shoved it back at her. “You order.”

Kira called room service on the comm, one of the room's few nods to modern convenience. With a devilish look cast at the constable, she chose the most salacious sounding things on the menu, rolling the syllables around her mouth in the most sensual way she could manage. Odo squirmed and tugged at his collar, his flush returning in full force. By the time she was done ordering, Kira was laughing so hard she could barely add a request for a bottle of wine.

Dinner would be twenty minutes. Kira sighed, sobering up. “What now?”

“I have no idea. I did bring a PADD, but all that's on it is the tenth Mike Hammer. Not of much interest to you. Had I known I was going to get us stranded, I would've downloaded the whole series.”

“Odo, that is the last time you're blaming yourself for the warp core. Blame Miles if you need to blame someone." She sighed, planting her hands on her hips. “I didn't bring anything to do at all. We were supposed to back on the station by now...” She looked down at her feet, then back up, brightening. “Hold on, maybe I did bring something.”

Kira moved to her duffel in one graceful step and began to rummage through it, bending over the bag. Odo rubbed his lower lip absently as he watched her. The constable was caught by the sight of the major's very round, very lovely, and very close--

 _Odo, what are you doing?_   He had no business looking at Kira that way. He averted his glance just in time.

“Found 'em!” Kira turned, beaming. She held up a deck of Terran playing cards. “Sisko gave me these for my birthday last year. He said I should always take them on away missions because you never know when you might need them.” She moved to the table, inviting Odo to join her with a sweep of her hand.

“A wise man, that Sisko,” Odo said, lifting at the hope of distraction. “What are we playing?”

“Rummy?”

Odo actually knew that game. He'd played it before with Julian and Miles. Rummy was easy, methodical and never-ending, if Kira was playing by certain rules.

“Perfect.”

Kira removed the cards from their case. Odo watched as she shuffled the deck with relative expertise. He was pleasantly surprised.

“You look like you've done this a few times.”

Kira gave him a sly wink. “Cut, Constable.”

Odo did as he was bid and cut the pile. Chin in hand, he locked his gaze with Kira's. Kira slowly dropped her eyes and picked up the cards. She shuffled them through her thumbs. Odo followed her motions, chewing on his lower lip as she dealt them ten cards each.

“Odo, we need something to keep score with.”

Reluctantly, Odo pulled his eyes away from Kira's small, deft hands. “Actually, we may have a use for my PADD after all.” Odo reached to the bed, the space between it and the table a small stretch, and pulled the PADD out of his duffel.

Keeping score while they played cards kept Odo distracted, even if his lip did still bother him. They played until dinner arrived and broke long enough to serve, balancing their plates on their knees. Dinner turned out to be tasty and unaffected, despite the exotic names, and Odo's earlier edginess dissipated. The festival and its friendly attendees were forgotten as the wine and food soothed his nerves and he and Kira made light conversation over their meal. 

Kira was quickly full. She smiled wistfully as she watched Odo clean his plate. When he finally came up for air, his attention went immediately to her half-finished meal. He nodded at her lap.

“Are you going to eat that?”

Kira picked up her plate and gave it to him. “I guess you really were hungry." Her grin widened. “You know, I'm still not used to seeing you eat.”

Odo quickly polished off the last of Kira's food and reached for the wine. “Sometimes I still can't believe I have to," he said, refilling their glasses. "I always thought it would be fun, though. Watching others eat for all those years made me feel left out of something. They seemed to enjoy it so much.”

“And do you?...Enjoy it, I mean?”

“It's definitely one of the better things about being a solid."

“What else do you like?”

Odo scrubbed his mouth with a napkin and leaned back in his chair. “Sleeping,” he confessed, grinning. “I thought it a dreadful waste of time at first, but it's so... _satisfying_...Drifting off in a soft bed after a hard day, all warm and cozy...”

Kira looked askance at the warm, cozy bed in the room and blushed. “Is there anything else you find satisfying?”

BOOM! The wall by Kira's elbow shuddered, and she jumped. “What the--” she began, and was cut off by another crash and the sound of breaking glass coming from the adjoining room.

Odo shifted to security officer mode. He rushed up from the table in one smooth motion, gesturing for Kira to stay where she was. He moved to the door, hand poised over the handle, alert, listening. Kira jumped again as she heard a peal of feminine laughter, followed by a deeper, more masculine one. There were words exchanged, but they were unintelligible as they passed through the wall.

Kira and Odo both waited, tensed, but there were no further noises. Odo relaxed, standing down from the door.

“What a racket,” Kira said. “I wonder if we should call the desk.”

“I don't think it was anything serious. Festival-goers, most likely.”

“This planet sure has different ideas about festivals than Bajor.”

“No kidding," Odo said as he took his seat."Can you picture some of the vedeks running around like that?”

Kira chuckled. “Now that would be something to see.” She picked up the cards and asked, “You wanna play another round?”

A clear, healthy, feminine shout of “Oh, yes!” rang through from next door. A groan, then a moan, followed a masculine grunt, and the wall shuddered again, raining white dust on Kira's shoulder. The major giggled and slapped a hand over her mouth.

“Odo, are they...?”

Odo pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Yes, Major. They are.”

It went on for some time. There were lusty shouts and screams, followed by garbled strings of words she couldn't quite make out, but that heated Kira's blood none the less. She felt a little guilty, listening to something so personal, but trying to talk over it seemed worse. She kept her silence,

and risked a look at Odo.

The constable was looking hard at the wall, wearing an expression she had never seen on his smooth face before. It was unguarded. Hungry. Kira's eyes strayed to Odo's mouth. His normally thin lower lip was slightly red, swollen, but not in a wrong way. It looked as if he had recently been kissing someone. She watched, biting her own lip, as he traced one long, elegant finger along the edge.

A pounding sound began, pulling Kira's attention from Odo. A rhythmic knocking against the wall was building to a reckless pace, accompanied by the unmistakeable squeak of a busy bed and sounds of harmonized urgency from the neighbors. The framed pictures that hung above Kira's head shimmied and shook, teetering on their hooks. Just when she was wondering if she needed to move to avoid a concussion, they stilled. Cries of mutual relief sang through the plaster and Kira felt a sympathetic rush of heat from her own groin.

She took a surreptitious glance at Odo. He was a statue, but a flushed one, still staring at the wall with that same hungry look, and her mouth went dry.

“Odo, do you want more wine?”

Odo didn't take his eyes off the wall. “Yes. Yes I do.”

Kira went to the comm and ordered again, this time no humor in her request. She also decided she wanted something sweet, and no, she didn't particularly care what, thank you. The steward assured he would send the house specialty and signed off.

Kira moved back to the table and dropped in her seat. Odo was distant, distracted. She drummed her fingers on the wood, trying to think of something to talk about, but it wasn't easy. The evening's events, and her attractive roommate, had left her mind stuck on a single track. She wasn't sure how to broach the subject with her sensitive friend. She wished Odo would say something to break the tension, but he sat silently and avoided her gaze as he rolled his lower lip through his teeth. Kira had the sudden urge to ask if Odo wanted her to try that.

She was saved by the door chime. Kira flew from the table, grateful for the distraction. She took the bottle of wine from the porter and a covered tray containing her mystery dessert. She it set aside for the moment, her craving for sweets trumped by the need for a drink.

Cracking the wine open, Kira asked, “Should we try cards again?”

Odo started at the sound of her voice. He gave her a non-committal grunt. Kira decided to take it as a yes. She brought the wine to the table and filled their glasses. Taking a fortifying gulp, she picked up the cards and dealt haphazardly. Odo's concentration was still waning, so Kira tallied score this time, making small talk as they played, trying to draw him out. Just as she was getting Odo to relax and settle back into the game, the neighbors began round two.

Odo tossed his cards down with a sound of disgust. “Well, so much for rummy.”

“Do you want to talk about it, Odo? Will that make you more comfortable?”

“Would it make _you_ more comfortable?”

“Well, I've had more time with these kinds of...feelings. You've recently acquired them. Talking about it doesn't bother me, especially with you.”

Odo flushed and bit his lip. 'Especially with you' was territory way too close to home. “Kira, I'm a private man.”

“I know, Odo. But we are friends and we've never talked much about your change. If you have questions...”

Questions, Odo didn't have. The computer, and some sweaty nights alone in his quarters, had answered most of those. Still, it wasn't something he wanted to talk about.

 “Major, I'd rather not, it's...it's too personal. I don't want to talk about _that_ ,” he said, pointing a thumb at the wall, “and have to look you in the eye at the next debriefing.”

Kira hid a twist of disappointment. “All right...We'll drink some more wine, forget the neighbors, and talk about something else.”

Kira topped off their glasses, and Odo visibly relaxed. The wine was good, and potent, and after killing the second bottle, they were both a little drunk. They really did manage to tune out the neighbors, and Kira had a talk with her good friend like she hadn't had in a while. As she listened to Odo laugh about his latest run-in with Quark, Kira had the odd thought she was _glad_ the warp core had sprung that leak. 

Eventually, though, they were both talked out. The awkward quiet returned. Kira could distantly hear the crowd in the park, the party still in full swing. It was punctuated by the much more intimate sounds from the next room. Kira pressed her thighs together tightly, acknowledging the emotion she'd been denying all night. She was jealous. The wine let her admit that now.

Shaking off that thought, she looked around the room, and spied the forgotten dessert. Kira brightened at the prospect of something sweet to lift her souring mood.

“Odo, would you like dessert?”

“Hmm?...Oh. Sure.”

She retrieved the covered dish and placed it on the table between them. “I have no idea what this is, but apparently, it's the hotel's best.”

Kira lifted the silver dome with a flourish. Beneath it, framed by a border of frilly lace, were a pair of beautifully shaped molded custard breasts, round, full, and creamy white, complete with realistic painted sugar aureola and little brown berries where the nipples would be.

Odo groaned and covered his face with both hands. "Oh, you have got to be joking."

Kira took one look at Odo and lost it, falling back on the bed. Odo watched as she rolled around on it, holding her stomach as gales of hysterical laughter poured from her, his irritation rising. His patience with this planet and its ridiculous festival had about reached its limit. 

"For pity's sake, Kira, what's so funny?”

Kira pushed up on her elbows and took another glance at Odo. His foot was bouncing rapidly on the floor and he was trying, with difficulty, to keep his eyes off the dessert as he chewed his lower lip furiously. Kira fell back in helpless laughter once again.

"Kira!"

“I'm sorry,” she said, wiping her face, trying to breathe. “I can't help it...It's just that..."

_"What?"_

"The dessert...They look just like mine!”

Odo bolted from his seat. He turned his back to her, shoulders hunched. “Well, Constable,” Kira laughed, rolling up from the bed. Despite his discomfort, she couldn't resist. “Would you like the right, or the left?”

Odo swung back to Kira in flash, nostrils flared, chest heaving, and Kira's mirth evaporated. She took a step back. She didn't recognize this Odo, either.

“Odo? Are you all right?"

He heaved a breath, calming, and Kira felt an odd sense of loss as she watched that other Odo disappear. He reached out a hand as if to touch her, then dropped it.

“Is it warm in here? It's warm in here, I'm going to open the window.”

Odo rushed passed her and released the catch, letting in the night air and the sounds of the city with it. The skin below his lip burned even hotter in contrast to the coolness that flooded the room, tingling in the most annoying yet strangely sensual way. He gulped huge breaths, keeping his back to Kira, trying to will away the throbbing, insistent erection that had sprung instantly at her ill-condsidered humor. Thinking about it only made it worse, and he gripped the window ledge tightly. 

_Great, Odo. Now what?_

Kira moved behind him. “Odo, your lip, it's really red. Are you okay?”

His lip was not his biggest problem. “I'm...not sure. I think, Major, I should go.”

“And take your chances out there?”

“Better that, than what's in my head right now getting its way!”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“You don't want to know! I can't...I feel...so strange.”

Kira grew worried. Maybe there was something wrong with him. She picked up the tricorder and ran a scan. “This isn't a medical tricorder, but something's definitely wrong. Your heart rate's up, blood pressure's elevated, and there's a sharp increase in....oh...I see....” She snapped the tricorder shut and set it down, pursing her lips.

“Yes, you see,” he said. “Maybe now you know why I should go!”

“Is there anything I can do?”

 _The right, or the left?_   “No, Major, just leave me be, I'll be fine.”

“Odo, look at me.” She reached out and touched his shoulder.

He gripped her hand, squeezing it tight. "Kira..."

"Odo, it's all right. Turn around."

He did so, reluctantly, and Kira saw everything Odo was trying to hide.

Keeping her eyes locked on his, Kira took a deliberate step forward. Odo's breathing quickened, but he didn't move. Taking another cautious step, she closed the distance between them and slowly circled her arms around him.

Sighing jaggedly, Odo rested his forehead against hers. “Kira, you should send me away.”

“Why?" she asked. "Because of this?” She scratched her nails across the bulging front of his trousers.

He dropped his head on her shoulder and groaned, the sound vibrating into her neck. “Nerys, please...”

Kira started loosening his uniform tunic, planting light kisses on his throat as her fingers worked their way down. “I think there is something I can do to help you. If you'd like me to.”

Odo laughed, the sound more pained than humorous. “Like you to? Nerys, you have no idea...” His eyes snapped open, and he grabbed her wrists, stilling her motions. “But is it something _you_ want?”

She pulled back, cupping his face in her hands. “You have no idea,” she said and leaned in, capturing his mouth with hers.

It was all the permission Odo needed. He kissed her back, desperately, almost harshly. Kira reveled in his forcefulness, in the taste of him, the flavor not at all what she expected, his mouth sweet and vaguely floral. She felt a heady sense of triumph as she finally got to catch that lower lip, a slight tingle sparkling on her tongue at the essence she drew from it. As their uniforms fell away, it occurred to her that it wasn't normal, that tingle. It was definitely unnatural, but before she could follow the thought, a warm hand cupped her bare breast, the taut nipple teased by a thumb, and it was all she could do to stay standing.

Kira shivered and pressed Odo's hand with hers. “The left it is,” she managed.

Odo pulled her close, running rough hands over her naked skin, and Kira's patience broke. She reached down between them, grasping his hardness in her hand. Odo gasped as she slipped him between her folds, gripping her hips as she rubbed herself shamelessly over his thickness. She dug her fingers in his back, crying small mews of pleasure into his chest as her need grew more and more desperate. Growling a sound of frustration, Odo stepped her towards the bed. Kira felt her legs meet the edge, and she let herself fall, drawing him down after her.

As they landed on the bed, their frantic energy calmed. The satin of the coverlet slid sensuously under Kira's back as Odo moved over her. His kiss was tender this time, and she returned it. He was right there, close, so close, and Kira lifted her hips, encouraging him.

Doubt clouded his eyes, and he smoothed the hair from her brow. "Nerys, you're sure?"

She caressed his face and smiled. “I'm sure, Odo."

Then, and only then, did he enter her, filling her in one long, smooth stroke.

   
*  
   
Odo woke to an annoying sound, a shrill chirp that repeated over and over, ringing around his sore head. He realized it was the door chime and his eyes snapped open. The full light of day assaulted him and panic set in as he found himself completely naked.

_Prophets, it wasn't a dream._

Odo looked frantically around for Kira. She wasn't in the room, but he heard the fall of water from the shower. His anxiety eased a notch.

“Mr. Odo, are you in there?” A muffled voice called from the other side of the door, followed by a pounding against the ancient wood. Odo hopped out of bed and, not seeing his uniform, wrapped a sheet around his waist as he bounded for the door.

Odo cracked the door open carefully. On the other side was the MP officer from the night before, his concierge cousin right behind.

“Officer Karon,” Odo greeted, opening the door a little wider. “Good morning.”

“Good morning, Mr. Odo. Pardon the intrusion, but we couldn't seem to get you on the comm. We came to tell you your ship is repaired.”

“That's good news.”

“Yes, we thought you'd be pleased.” Karon noticed Odo's sheet-clad form. His smile turned knowing. “Did you have a pleasant stay?”

Odo hiked the sheet a little higher. “It was...memorable.”

“Vespiria's Night can certainly be that," Karon grinned. "If you and the Major will make yourselves ready, we can escort you back to port and see you aboard your vessel. We'll await you in the lobby.”

“Thank you,” Odo returned, and the two men turned to leave. A question bubbled up in Odo then, and he called to stop them. “Karon? A word?” The sound of the shower ceased, so Odo stepped into the hall and closed the door.

“Yes, Mr. Odo?”

“Vespiria's Night...Was that what was going on last night?”

Karon gave a sour look to his cousin. The cousin stared sheepishly at his boots. Turning back to Odo, Karon said, “You mean he didn't tell you?”

Odo raised an arch brow at the cousin. “No, he didn't.”

“I do apologize. We must have had a miscommunication, my cousin and I. He was to explain the festival to you. Once every six seasons, Karpyra celebrates Vespiria's Night."

“I see...What is it, exactly, that is celebrated?”

“Do you know the legend of Vespiria?” Karon asked. Odo shook his head to the negative. “Ah, then I shall explain...

“Vespiria was an ancient queen, and a great figure in our history. The crown was passed through her father, who had no sons. She was the first female to rule Karpyra. Her king, Maro, was resentful of her power. He was also a known philanderer, and his habits brought Vespiria much grief, for the queen loved Maro despite his unfaithfulness to her, publicly and privately.

“After six seasons of marriage, she and the king were childless, the kingdom at odds with itself, and the treasury growing thin. Most blamed the king, but Vespiria blamed herself. One night, after a feast celebrating their wedding anniversary, she caught him with one of her own court, conspiring to steal her throne. The queen was outraged and finally saw Maro for what he was.

“Vespiria gathered her court, her servants, all of the people of the palace, and had her guards escort her husband to the central square where her throne sat. (Which, by the way, still partially stands in the park you can see from your window.) Then, she made a proclamation. 'Lo, though I am a woman, I am, by the blood of my father, your ruler, and I say this: No man shall be the downfall of me. Let it be known that I am free, to rule and serve my people alone. Maro is king no more, for he cannot be faithful to me, and therefore cannot be faithful to the people. I shall not set another king in his place for I have no need of kings. I am the day, and the day is mine. I am the night, and the night is mine.'

“And with that, she turned Maro from her house, and from her kingdom. She took to her bed that very night her captain of the guard, who Vespiria knew to harbor a secret affection for her. He remained her consort for the rest of his days, and her rule is remembered as the greatest in Karpyran history."

Odo lifted his head in understanding. "And so--"

"--And so, the festival started," Karon said. "Every six seasons, the women of Karpyra become unmarried for one night, and are free to partner who they will. Any children born from Vespiria's Night are considered blessed, and are welcomed into the home of their husbands.”

“Their husbands don't mind?”

“Actually, it's generally fallen out of fashion among married women. These days, the festival is celebrated mostly by the young and unattached. In fact, it has become out of hand in recent decades as there tends to be much use of illicit substances...Hallucinogens, pleasure enhancers, aphrodisiacs, the like. Most of us old married folk choose to stay in on Vespiria's Night.”

“Drugs,” Odo said, paling.

“Yes, unfortunately.”

Odo turned to the cousin. “Was there....was there anything in our food last night, or our wine?”

The cousin tapped his mouth nervously, shaking his head. “No, no, no, Mr. Odo. You are our guest. We would never permit that.”

“I see...”

Karon sensed Odo's distress. “Though my cousin runs a clean establishment, there may have been contact chemicals in the air, or someone may have attempted to drug you. Did anyone touch you on your way here?”

Odo startled, looking up. “Yes, there was a woman...”

“Likely it was she. I'm sorry, Mr. Odo. Perhaps we should have escorted you personally.”

“Yes...” Odo had already turned back to the room, ignoring the two men. With a shared look, they turned away, and left Odo to sort it out.

Odo closed the door behind him. Kira stood by the bed, wrapped in a towel and smiling radiantly.

“Good morning!"

Odo couldn't meet her eyes. He moved to the bed and dropped on it heavily. “Good morning, Major.”

Kira huffed a laugh. "Odo. After the things we did last night, you call me 'Major?'”

The constable looked up, his expression pained. Kira sat next to him and slipped an arm around his shoulder.

“Odo, what is it? What's wrong?”

“Major, there is something you should know.”

Odo proceeded to fill her in on all Karon had told him, a growing sense of dread filling him the more he spoke. Surely, she would be furious. He waited for her wrath, for the rejection that would certainly follow, his head hanging down woefully as he finished his tale.

Kira pulled her arm away and ran her hands over her thighs, smoothing imaginary wrinkles from the towel. “So what happened last night, you didn't want it to happen?”

“Oh, Nerys, that's not it, not at all. It's just....Well, I understand if you didn't want... If you...feel differently...this morning.”

“I do feel differently this morning,” Kira beamed. “Odo, I've been drugged before, and I wasn't drugged last night. A little drunk maybe, but I don't think whatever was on your lip, or the rest of what happened, pushed us to anything we didn't want already. Do you?"

He managed a small smile. “No. Not at all.”

“Besides, there's this captain of the guard I know, and I think he harbors a secret affection for me.”

“He does, Nerys," he replied, taking her hand. "He always has.”

“And I think I should give him a chance to wear it openly."

Odo studied her expression carefully. “Really?”

“Really.” Kira's smile faded. She stroked his cheek and said, “I can't make any promises, Odo. I don't know how I feel. This is all so sudden, but when we get back to DS9, I'd love the chance to figure it out.”

"As you wish, my lady," he quipped, and leaned in for a kiss. He stopped short. "The runabout. We need to get dressed. Karon is waiting."

Kira rose and stood before him. A slow smile teased her mouth as she dropped her towel to the floor.

Odo inhaled sharply. He reached out, pulling her hips forward. "Well. Maybe he can wait a little longer...”

*

Officer Karon checked the time and smiled to himself. He had been waiting in the lobby for over an hour, but he didn't let it trouble him. After all, the blessings of Vespiria's Night were bountiful, and who was he to argue with history?

 

**Author's Note:**

> Based on characters belonging to Paramount. The characters are theirs, the story is mine.


End file.
